BACKGROUND:
Road traffic injuries (RTIs) place a significant, yet preventable, public health burden on children and young adults, with substantial human, social, and economic costs. While adolescents may be aware of traffic rules, everyday commuting decisions are often shaped by peer influence, poor decisions and risk-taking behaviors. These factors can reduce risk perception and increase unsafe choices in real-world traffic environments.

METHODS:
SAFETeen is a 3-year Erasmus+ initiative bringing together academia, research institutes, and school authorities in Greece, Italy, Spain, Cyprus, and Finland. The project targets secondary-school students and supports teachers, parents, and local stakeholders through educational resources complemented by two digital tools (a VR application and a mobile app). SAFETeen applies a holistic, school-based implementation strategy that includes teacher training, structured lesson plans, experiential learning activities, and guidance for integrating the digital tools in road-safety education into everyday school curricula.

RESULTS:
SAFETeen developed a set of complementary digital and pedagogical resources: (a) an immersive Virtual Reality (VR) application presenting realistic mobility scenarios to strengthen hazard perception, risk appraisal, and peer-resistance skills through interactive decision points (b) a mobile application that supports “fitness-to-commute” provides personalized, real-time feedback to encourage safer mobility choices and (c) a pedagogical handbook with lesson plans and educational activities to support meaningful classroom implementation and alignment with local school needs. Pilot trials will be conducted in partner secondary schools to evaluate effectiveness (risk perception, self-efficacy to resist peer influence, and safe decision-making) as well as implementation outcomes (acceptability, feasibility, usability) of the tools.

CONCLUSIONS:
SAFETeen delivers an evidence-informed toolkit that equips teachers with innovative resources to strengthen adolescents’ road-safety competencies and promote safer decision-making. By combining immersive simulation, mobile app support, and structured pedagogy lessons within a school-community framework, SAFETeen aims to contribute to adolescent injury prevention and safer mobility across diverse European contexts.